Ziemer's B.C. Golf Notes: Sihota on bubble in Colombia; UBC women go for 3-peat at NAIA Championships...and much more
Victoria, BC's Jeevan Sihota - Image Credit: Bernard Brault/Golf Canada
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
The Latin American portion of the PGA Tour Americas circuit concludes at this week’s Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship in Bogota, Colombia, where Victoria’s Jeevan Sihota must make the cut to secure his playing privileges for the tour’s North American swing.
Sihota enters the tournament ranked 61st on the Fortinet Cup points list. The top 60 players after this week’s event will be exempt for the nine Canadian events and one U.S. tournament on the North American swing that begins next month in Victoria.
Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald does not have to worry about falling out of the top 60. He enters the week third on the points list, but has plenty of incentive to play well.
The top two on the points list after the Colombia event will earn conditional status on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour. Victoria’s Lawren Rowe stands 43rd on the points list, while Richmond’s Chris Crisologo is 121st and is not in the Colombia field.
The North American swing starts June 20-23 with The Beachlands Victoria Open at Uplands Golf Club. The top 10 players on the points list at seasons’ end will earn exempt status on next year’s Korn Ferry Tour.
DEFENDING CHAMPS: The University of B.C. women’s team is the top seed at this week’s NAIA national championship tourney at TPC Deere Run in Silvas, Ill. The Thunderbirds will be looking to win their third straight national championship. UBC’s starting five will be Una Chou, who is coming off an individual win at last week’s PGA Works Collegiate Championship, Grace Bell, Elizabeth Labbe, Jessica Ng and Bo Brown. Emily Li also travelled with the team as a substitute. The University of Victoria is the only other Canadian squad in the 30-team field at nationals. Cindy Koira, Fiona McCombe, Lana Rummel, Brynne Davies and Mya Rowan are expected to be the Vikes’ starting five.
THAT’S A WRAP: The Simon Fraser University men’s and women’s golf teams saw their seasons come to an end at NCAA Division II regional tournaments this past week. The SFU women tied for 11th at their regional tourney in Stockton, Calif. Burnaby’s Meera Minhas was SFU’s top player, tying for 27th in the individual competition. The SFU men tied for 12th at their regional in Las Cruces, N.M. Michael Crisologo, in his final tournament for the Red Leafs, tied for 14th and was SFU’s top player. Adam Niles of Kamloops helped his Western New Mexico team advance to the NCAA Division II Championships at the Las Cruces regional. Western New Mexico won the Las Cruces regional and Niles tied for 14th in the individual competition.
OFF TO NATIONALS: Lauren Kim and Rebecca Kim, both of Surrey, helped their respective teams qualify for the NCAA Division I Championship tourney. Lauren Kim’s University of Texas team finished second at a regional tourney in North Carolina, while Rebecca Kim’s Oregon State squad placed fifth at the same event. The NCAA Championship tourney goes May 17-22 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
VALHALLA BOUND: Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor tied for 43rd at six-over par at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C., and earned $68,500. Surrey’s Adam Svensson tied for 47th at seven-over and made $53,420 while Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin tied for 52nd at eight-over and took home $47,000. Taylor, Hadwin and Svensson all have spots in this week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.
For Hadwin, the PGA Championship marks a return to his collegiate golfing home. Hadwin graduated from the University of Louisville in 2009 and played Valhalla a number of times while in college. “We played it a few times, but it’s been 15 years since I’ve seen it,” Hadwin said. “I think they’ve redone much of the course since then.” Merritt’s Roger Sloan tied for 40th at last week’s opposite field event, the Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina, and earned $16,200.
WASHINGTON WINS: Team British Columbia finished third at the PNGA Lamey Cup played at Seattle Golf Club. The annual Ryder Cup-style team competition features 12-member teams from the B.C., Washington, Oregon and Idaho golf associations. Washington won this year’s competition with 15.5 points. Oregon was second with 13, B.C. had 12 points and Idaho finished with 7.5 points. Team B.C. was led by Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay and Jackie Little of Procter, who both went 3-0 in their matches.
ACROSS THE POND: Former UBC player Andrew Robb won the British Mid-Amateur Championship for players aged 35 and over at Hollinwell Golf Club in Nottingham, England. Robb, a Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club member, shot rounds of 78, 69 and 71 to finish the 54-hole event at two-over par and six shots clear of the rest of the field.
ROUTE 66: Langley’s Khan Lee closed with a six-under 66 at Pitt Meadows Golf Club and won the Vancouver Golf Tour’s Pitt Meadows Open by three shots with a two-day total of eight-under par. The first round of the event was held at Meadow Gardens Golf Club. Lee earned $3,000 for the win. Coquitlam’s A.J. Ewart was second, while Langley’s James Allenby was third at four-under. University of B.C.’s Aidan Schumer was the low amateur at even-par.
TOP-FIVE FINISHES: Port Coquitlam’s Yeji Kwon and Kelowna’s Megan Osland both finished inside the top five at the Oscar Williams Classic at Hurricane Creek on the Annika All Pro Women’s Tour in Anna, Tex. Kwon, an amateur who is planning to turn pro this summer, was solo third at even-par. That was three shots behind winner Hailee Cooper of Montgomery, Tex. Osland, who was the tournament’s defending champion, tied for fifth at two-over par.
CHIP SHOTS: Kimberley’s Jared du Toit is in the field for this week’s Korn Ferry Tour event, the AdventHealth Championship in Kansas City . . .Registration is now open to the Monday qualifier on June 17 for the PGA Tour Americas’ Beachlands Victoria Open. The qualifier is being played at Highland Pacific Golf Club.